With little fanfare, N.H.I. working smoothly
It was hailed and lampooned, lionised and criticised. It seemed that everybody had a strong opinion on N.H.I. …at least until the pilot health care project was finally inaugurated in August. Since then, it’s almost as if those three weighty letters have been purged from the alphabet…at least until today, when News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams decided to give the controversial programme a check-up.
Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting
Five months ago when government’s National Health Insurance pilot project was launched, eight thousand Belizeans had been registered. Today, over seventeen thousand Belizean women, men and children are part of the southside initiative.
But what will happen to the N.H.I. project in a month’s time, when the test run is slated to end? Chief Executive Office in the Ministry of Health Henry Anderson says an ongoing evaluation will be reviewed.
Henry Anderson, CEO, Ministry of Health
“What was done at the beginning, or before we started, we got the University of Belize to come in and do a patient satisfaction survey. One will be done afterwards, and then we will compare the findings to see if it improves patient satisfaction and customer satisfaction. There are several things that we have seen, for example, seventeen thousand of the thirty-six thousand people living on the southside are taking part, which tells us several things. Maybe people only go to the doctor when they feel sick, or we need to do more public relations. For example, we have noted that in the pilot project we offer services like cancer screening, and it is not being utilised as much as we would like to see. So that is indicating to us clearly that is not in the culture and health promotion in those ways has to be done. In terms of certain aspects of what was being done, a lot of kids got glasses, elderly people got cataract surgery and things of that nature, so we were able to deal with some health problems that were existing in the southside from before.”
Clinical director at Integral Health Care, Dr. Gregory Arana, says southside residents receiving quality care are wondering what it will cost when it’s time for Belizeans to make cash contributions to the N.H.I. fund.
Dr. Gregory Arana, Clinical Dir., Integral Health Care
“We have had a lot of questions: When will this thing finish? What will I have to pay for? And there’s a lot of anxiety even, because they have experienced the benefit of good health care services and a lot of people are anxious, everyday I’m getting questions. We can’t really say it’s free, it has never been free, but at the point of care, the person doesn’t have to pay. There has to be some compensation, and most of our clients are willing to contribute. They say that if they’re getting this quality of service, they’re willing to contribute a little bit towards it.”
A question Anderson says he cannot answer right now, since it will take a policy decision.
Henry Anderson
“When Cabinet decides on exactly how it wants to go, then that will dictate what the cost will be, and then the decision will have to be made on how it will be financed. So I can’t really say, but it will take a policy decision to decide that.”
However, he’s not alone in his decision that N.H.I. is good for Belize and Belizeans.
Dr. Gregory Arana
“Generally speaking, it is a positive thing for health care in this country. I would not be involved if I didn’t believe this. There are pitfalls like everything else, it is a new system, but I think that in the long run it will benefit a lot of people. It has benefited a lot of people within our system here already. We have had good reports that has far outweighed any negative reports.”
When we visited Dr. Arana in his clinic this morning, he reported that so far ten thousand residents have registered at what he says is the leading medical provider on the southside–Integral. He spoke of what he calls the typical and not so typical ailments people come with.
Dr. Gregory Arana
“We see a lot of common things, respiratory illness, cough, colds, flu is the bread and butter of this level of care. Asthma, especially in the living environment conditions, we see a lot of that. A lot of bowel and bladder problems as well. However, we have seen a wide range of medical problems, some things that have been out there for such a long time, people that have needed some serious surgery, some very serious obstetric female problems that for years have been there. We’ve picked up a lot of HIV, which is very high incidence in our society.”
On the other side of town, at Belize Medical Associates on Regent Street, Dr. Idalia Machuca says she treats a wide range of illnesses from the common cold to cancer.
Dr. Idalia Machuca, Doctor in Charge, B.M.A.
“We have several patients who didn’t know that they were having cancer, diabetes or hypertension. We have found many, many people suffering from high cholesterol.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“Are you surprised?”
Dr. Idalia Machuca
“Yes. We wonder why, probably it is because of the kind of diet.”
Ann-Marie Williams
“So you do a lot of nutrition counselling here?”
Dr. Idalia Machuca
“Yes. We do that everyday, and that is for the group of people that come in the morning and we do the individual advice also.”
Although an annual general check-up is free under N.H.I., and very necessary, Machuca says families don’t take their health seriously.
Dr. Idalia Machuca
“Generally people look for doctors only when they feel sick. And probably when they feel sick it is because it is too late for some illnesses or because at that time they are really bad and they need to spend more money or take longer time to recover.”
Government earmarked three point eight million dollars to finance the N.H.I. pilot project for thirty-six thousand southside Belize District residents. At this point it looks like actual costs will run less than the budgeted amount.
